Charge/Discharge Test System and Charge/Discharge Test Method

Abstract

A charging/discharging test system includes a charging/discharging test device; and a controller to output a first control signal commanding to start a charging/discharging test for a first battery. The charging/discharging test device repeatedly performs a first charge/discharge cycle until a cumulative capacity of the first battery by the first charge/discharge cycle reaches a reference capacity in response to the first control signal. The first charge/discharge cycle is comprised of a first constant current charging until a first end-of-charge voltage is reached, a first rest period, a first constant current discharging until a first end-of-discharge voltage is reached and a second rest period in a sequential order, at a first temperature condition. Each time the first charge/discharge cycle is performed, the controller adds the cumulative capacity and a voltage drop of the first battery over the first rest period to a first test dataset.

1 . A charging/discharging test system, comprising:
 a controller configured to output a first control signal commanding to start a charging/discharging test for a first battery provided as a first test target to a charging/discharging test device,   wherein the first control signal causes the charging/discharging test device repeatedly perform a first charge/discharge cycle until a cumulative capacity of the first battery by the first charge/discharge cycle reaches a reference capacity,   wherein the first charge/discharge cycle is comprised of a first constant current charging until a first end-of-charge voltage is reached, a first rest period, a first constant current discharging until a first end-of-discharge voltage is reached and a second rest period in a sequential order, at a first temperature condition, and   wherein the controller, for each time the first charge/discharge cycle is performed on the first battery, is configured to:
 determine the cumulative capacity of the first battery, 
 determine a voltage drop of the first battery over the first rest period, and 
 add the cumulative capacity and the voltage drop of the first battery to a first test dataset associated with the first charge/discharge cycle. 
   
     
     
         2 . The charging/discharging test system according to  claim 1 , wherein the controller is configured to:
 output a second control signal commanding to start the charging/discharging test for a second battery provided as a second test target to the charging/discharging test device,   wherein the second control signal causes the charging/discharging test device is to repeatedly perform a second charge/discharge cycle until a cumulative capacity of the second battery by the second charge/discharge cycle reaches the reference capacity,   wherein the second charge/discharge cycle is comprised of the first constant current charging, the first rest period, the first constant current discharging and the second rest period in a sequential order at a second temperature condition which is different from the first temperature condition, and   wherein the controller, for each time the second charge/discharge cycle is performed on the second battery, is configured to:
 determine a cumulative capacity of the second battery, 
 determine a voltage drop of the second battery over the first rest period, and 
 add the cumulative capacity and the voltage drop of the second battery to a second test dataset associated with the second charge/discharge cycle. 
   
     
     
         3 . The charging/discharging test system according to  claim 2 , wherein the controller is configured to:
 determine a first test curve indicating a correlation between the cumulative capacity and the voltage drop of the first battery based on the first test dataset when the charging/discharging test for the first battery is completed,   determine a second test curve indicating a correlation between the cumulative capacity and the voltage drop of the second battery based on the second test dataset when the charging/discharging test for the second battery is completed, and   determine a cumulative capacity range in which a slope difference between the first test curve and the second test curve is equal to or larger than a threshold value.   
     
     
         4 . The charging/discharging test system according to  claim 2 , wherein the controller is configured to:
 output a third control signal commanding to start the charging/discharging test for a third battery provided as a third test target to the charging/discharging test device,   wherein the third control signal causes the charging/discharging test device to repeatedly perform a third charge/discharge cycle until a cumulative capacity of the third battery by the third charge/discharge cycle reaches the reference capacity,   wherein the third charge/discharge cycle is comprised of the first constant current charging, the first rest period, a second constant current discharging until a second end-of-discharge voltage which is different from the first end-of-discharge voltage is reached and the second rest period in a sequential order at the first temperature condition, and   wherein the controller, for each time the third charge/discharge cycle is performed on the third battery, is configured to:
 determine the cumulative capacity of the third battery, 
 determine a voltage drop of the third battery over the first rest period, and 
 add the cumulative capacity and the voltage drop of the third battery to a third test dataset associated with the third charge/discharge cycle. 
   
     
     
         5 . The charging/discharging test system according to  claim 4 , wherein the controller is configured to:
 determine a first test curve indicating a correlation between the cumulative capacity and the voltage drop of the first battery based on the first test dataset when the charging/discharging test for the first battery is completed,   determine a third test curve indicating a correlation between the cumulative capacity and the voltage drop of the third battery based on the third test dataset when the charging/discharging test for the third battery is completed, and   determine a cumulative capacity range in which a slope difference between the first test curve and the third test curve is equal to or larger than a threshold value.   
     
     
         6 . The charging/discharging test system according to  claim 4 , wherein the controller is configured to:
 output a fourth control signal commanding to start the charging/discharging test for a fourth battery provided as a fourth test target to the charging/discharging test device,   wherein the fourth control signal causes the charging/discharging test device to repeatedly perform a fourth charge/discharge cycle until a cumulative capacity of the fourth battery by the fourth charge/discharge cycle reaches the reference capacity,   wherein the fourth charge/discharge cycle is comprised of the first constant current charging, the first rest period, the second constant current discharging and the second rest period in a sequential order at the second temperature condition,   wherein the controller, for each time the fourth charge/discharge cycle is performed on the fourth battery, is configured to:
 determine the cumulative capacity of the fourth battery, 
 determine a voltage drop of the fourth battery over the first rest period, and 
 add the cumulative capacity and the voltage drop of the fourth battery to a fourth test dataset associated with the fourth charge/discharge cycle. 
   
     
     
         7 . The charging/discharging test system according to  claim 6 , wherein the controller is configured to:
 determine a first test curve indicating a correlation between the cumulative capacity and the voltage drop of the first battery based on the first test dataset when the charging/discharging test for the first battery is completed,   determine a fourth test curve indicating a correlation between the cumulative capacity and the voltage drop of the fourth battery based on the fourth test dataset when the charging/discharging   test for the fourth battery is completed, and determine a cumulative capacity range in which a slope difference between the first test curve and the fourth test curve is equal to or larger than a threshold value.   
     
     
         8 . The charging/discharging test system according to  claim 1 , further comprising:
 an information input/output device configured to output graphical information associated with the first test dataset.   
     
     
         9 . The charging/discharging test system according to  claim 1 , further comprising the charging/discharging test device, wherein the charging/discharging test device includes at least one charging/discharging module, and
 each charging/discharging module includes:   a charger/discharger configured to control a charge current and a discharge current for the first test target;   a temperature regulation circuit configured to control an ambient temperature of the first test target; and   a sensing circuit configured to measure a voltage and current of the first test target.   
     
     
         10 . A charging/discharging test method, comprising:
 outputting, by a controller, a first control signal commanding to start a charging/discharging test for a first battery provided to test a charging/discharging test device; and   acquiring, by the controller, data for a first test dataset each time the first charge/discharge cycle is performed once until a cumulative capacity of the first battery by the first charge/discharge cycle reaches a reference capacity,   wherein the acquiring the data for the first test dataset associated with the first charge/discharge cycle includes:   determining the cumulative capacity of the first battery;   determining a voltage drop of the first battery over the first rest period; and   adding the cumulative capacity and the voltage drop of the first battery to the first test dataset associated with the first charge/discharge cycle.